The holidays are a great time to bring friends and family together and there is no better gathering place than the kitchen of your family’s home. Here are some fun and healthy holiday treats that your kids (and you) will love. As a bonus – getting your kids in the kitchen is not only fun for the whole family but helps them learn important life skills and gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Here are three tasty kid-friendly holiday treats to try:
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit
While not a full-blown recipe, this yummy treat is fun to make and hard to resist.
Ingredients:
- Melting chocolate (your choice dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate or all three!)
- Fruits (bananas, strawberries, blueberries, clementines, naval oranges, and pineapple are all great choices)
- Nuts (finely chopped) (optional)
- Lime Zest (optional)
- Cocoa Nibs (optional)
- Sprinkles (optional)
Toothpicks (for less messy dipping and serving)
Directions:
- Prepare a dipping area, with fruits and toppings.
- Melt the chocolate(s) in microwave-safe bowls stirring every 30 seconds.
- Now let the kids choose their favorite fruits and dip away, sprinkling with their favorite toppings for added flavor or crunch.
- Enjoy!
Elf on the Shelf Mischief Munch
Kids will love the idea possibly catching the illusive Elf on the Shelf during his crazy antics with this yummy Elf on the Shelf no-bake mischief munch. This one is so easy, even the littlest in your family can join in the fun!
Ingredients
- 2 c. French Toast Crunch cereal
- 1 c. Cookie Crisp cereal
- 2 2/3 c. Life cereal
- 1 c. mini marshmallows
- 1/2 c. red and green M&Ms
- 12 oz. white chocolate
- 2 tbsp. holiday sprinkles
- 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine all cereals, mini marshmallows, and M&Ms.
- Melt white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring to coat everything.
- Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet, top with holiday sprinkles and mini chocolate chips, and refrigerate until firm, about 25 minutes.
Recipe: Delish.com http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a50574/elf-on-the-shelf-mischief-munch-recipe/
Holiday-themed Pizzas
Everyone loves pizza, so why not give these fun Holiday-themed Pizzas a try. Christmas trees, candy canes, snowmen, and more – you’re only limited by your imagination. You can use your own favorite pizza dough recipe, dough from your favorite pizzeria, store-bought dough, or even gluten free cauliflower crust to make these fun and inventive pizzas.
Ingredients:
- 2 -12-inch precooked pizza crusts
- Marinara sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Red and yellow bell pepper
- Fresh spinach
- Pepperoni
- You can add any of your family’s favorite ingredients as well
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- For the pizzas you have two options, you can cut out mini-pizzas from your dough with your cookie cutters or you can make two family-sized pizzas by cutting out a Christmas tree, snowman, or candy cane shape. You can freehand these or draw the design on parchment and use as a guide while cutting.
- Place formed pizza crust on cookie sheets and add a little marinara sauce to each one. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese onto each pizza and let the kids begin their decoration.
- Let imagination guide the pizza decorating for example on the tree, add a little fresh spinach and then top with little round pieces of red pepper. You can cut out a yellow pepper star for the top. Or for the candy cane pizza make stripes using pepperoni rounds leaving two inches between “stripes.” (You get the idea!)
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted and bottom is crispy.
Recipe: Sheknows.com